Magic and Snacks
by ghostiprince
Summary: Ghouls populations near Hogwarts have been acting up, so Dumbledore requests the CCG's help and they send in their most competent, and only available, investigator and crew for the job.
1. Pumpkin Pasties

Thick mahogany met grey dry wall with a resounding bang that grabbed the attention of anyone in a ten meter vicinity. Heads turned to see the perpetrator that had the gall to make such an impudent entrance in the middle of an important mission debriefing. Notorious dyed obsidian bed-head and wide void-like eyes denoted the culprit to be "The Problem Child," as people still liked to refer to him as.

"Associate Special Class Investigator, Suzuya Juuzou reporting for duty!" Unnecessarily loud introductions were customary, after an extremely late arrival, for Juuzou, who then plopped down in a high-backed leather chair with a grin. Being on time had never been one of his strong qualities; he would either forget, get lost, or just plain not feel like going. This failure to arrive at the designated starting time included meetings he was in charge of or leading, like this one.

Next to him sat his current partner, Rank Two Investigator Abara Hanbee, who despite his usual stone face was a coward, and Juuzou knew it. Playful eyes skipped around the room till met with the commanding gaze of Special Class Investigator Arima Kishou, who stood between Hanbee and a board covered in papers pertaining to current and past ghoul investigations. Juuzou leaned forward and caught Arima's attention, then waved with a cheerful smile, as if greeting a friend from school instead of the most revered and skilled Investigator of the CCG. The older man flashed a brief smile back, before reasserting his commanding aura and expression.

With his usual lack of any manners and total disregard for professionalism, Juuzou leaned back in the squishy, poly-fiber filled chair saved especially for him at the head of the table. He basked in the attention it garnered him from his squad's lower rank investigators present. Juuzou pulled out handfuls of sweets and snacks from his coat pockets, and unceremoniously dropped them out onto the steel table with chip bags crinkling and hard candies hitting the table with audible clunks, some daring to roll off the surface.

After sorting his favorite sweets into a pile of cute and colorful wrappers, he plucked a fireball candy from the leftover pile and popped it into his mouth—better to start with the not so good ones first and save the best for last, at least that was his motto. Sucking the cinnamon flavor from the candy, Juuzou let his eyes wander. It dawned on him that one Sasaki Haise was present, sitting on the other side of Arima. Earlier he had failed to recognize the other since it was only their fourth time being in the same space for longer than a couple seconds. Waving his arms, he tried with all his might to catch Haise's attention, in hopes of snacks strategically hidden in on his person, but ultimately Juuzou's efforts were interrupted by Arima.

"Now Associate Special Class Suzuya, your mission is quite special." Getting a unique mission sounded intriguing and caught Juuzou's attention immediately. "You, Rank Two Abara, and Rank Two Sasaki are going to infiltrate, or rather attend, a school of magic and get rid of the rising ghoul population in the area."

Juuzou dipped his head to the side and fixed his gaze curiously on Arima. A magic school? Sounded fun, or at least it wouldn't be another boring stakeout mission. Maybe he could learn a spell to have everlasting candy or one that would let him grow a third eye. A mischievous smile formed on his angelic, porcelain features. In the midst of concocting infinite spell ideas that he thought would be particularly useful or cool, Juuzou failed to realize the not so subtle implication of the CCG wanting to get him out of their hair for a while, though he wouldn't have minded even if he had noticed.

"The area I've assigned you is a large plot in England. There have been reports and sightings coming from there of ghoul activity. In addition the headmaster of the magic school nearby has asked us to send help. In response the CCG chose the three of you to investigate those claims as well as aid the school. Now this is an unnaturally large area for just the three of you to control, but I believe in your skills and have confidence that you all can do this without much trouble."

"Hey Arima-san. Why is it just me, Haise, and this useless guy?" Juuzou jerked his thumb at Haise and Hanbee, who had by now gotten used to and accepted being called useless.

"You and Investigator Sasaki are our youngest investigators and will therefore be able to pass as students. The CCG higher-ups and I have agreed that you should be allowed to take on bigger cases, and that Investigator Sasaki needs more experience in the field," replied Arima with a slight smile in Juuzou's direction.

"Oh okay! So I get that me and Haise have to go 'cause none of you old guys can, but what about Hanbee? He's would stick out like a sore thumb as a student. He's way too tall and totally conspicuous. Not to mention he just looks old."

"Investigator Abara will be going to regulate intel on ghouls and his cover will be as an instructor on CCG safety procedures so none of the students get hurt if ghouls attack."

Juuzou shrugged. That job sounded boring, though perfect for Hanbee, and it meant that the CCG was leaving him to handle the best and his favorite part, ghoul elimination. Arima then pushed three letters onto the table and said that all the information they will need to fulfill their roles was enclosed in those letters, then stood and adjourned the meeting, filing out with the rest of Juuzou's newly appointed squad members.

Smiling wide, Juuzou scrambled to grab the letters after he heard the door click shut. Fast enough to leave paper-cuts, he had snatched the letters up and quickly went to ripping them open with little abandon. Pieces of red wax and envelope bits drifted to the ground, while Juuzou glossed over the long manila colored letters. He only read long enough to get the gist of the content and then slid the letters back Hanbee's way to let the other read for the exact details.

While Hanbee read the letters, Juuzou turned and motioned for Haise to come sit next to him. "Doesn't a magic school sound fun! What kind of spells do you want to learn? I want to be able to have unlimited candy!"

A smile tweaked at the corners of Haise's mouth. "Unlimited candy...? Maybe they'd have a spell for something like that, I guess. And the kind of spells...I guess something that would help in investigations..."

It wasn't the answer he had wanted to hear, though Juuzou only grumbled mildly. "So how do you like the CCG so far? This is your...second or third assignment, right?"

A nod from Haise answered that. "I hope to be of some help. Even though I was promoted to Rank Two I haven't done much field work."

Suddenly the door opened and Arima appeared, then called over Juuzou. He shrugged and hopped up, going out into the hall to meet the other investigator. "What'cha want?"

"I want you to keep a watch over Investigator Sasaki. It's his first big assignment and I want someone strong to keep him in check. Can I count on you?"

Juuzou nodded and Arima dismissed him back to the room. He had guessed that watching Haise was what he'd have to do, considering Haise's real identity and all. If Haise's troublesome side did rear his head things would get difficult, but not unmanageable. He was glad, though, that Arima trusted him and believed he met the standards to be capable for this task.

"Alright," Juuzou grinned as he turned to his partner, "Hanbee give me a summary! Those letters weren't that long." Nodding to the command, Hanbee began to read the letters out loud, which collectively said this:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mister Suzuya Juuzou, Abara Hanbee, and Sasaki Haise_

_We are pleased to be informed that you will be joining us here at Hogwarst this coming year. As well, we are very delighted to be able to engage in diplomatic relations with the CCG and that they have graciously decided to send over some of their officers to deal with the problem called Ghouls. In addition we have included train tickets that will take you to Hogwarts. A list of everything needed to attend school this coming Fall as a Fifth Year has been enclosed in these letters._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Juuzou got bored midway through the reciting of the letters and was now upside-down, hanging off the edge of a chair, reading the material list. Finished his once-over, Juuzou sat up suddenly, threw the list in Hanbee's face, and exclaimed, "Let's get going!"

* * *

Humming as he marched down the street, Juuzou read out loud every shop sign that passed. Occasionally he would look behind him at Haise and Hanbee, watching the latter constantly glance back down to the letter that mentioned where all the materials could be found; at a place called Diagon Alley, which was located behind a wizarding pub in London known as the Leaky Cauldron.

Juuzou had a knack for directions, or maybe he was just lucky, always being able to end up where he needed to be by coincidence alone. The group stopped in front of what appeared to be an abandoned, rundown building. The place didn't look like a well-known wizarding pub, much less somewhere to conceal a whole alley full of magic shops. Still, he trusted his intuition and gleefully exclaimed, "Follow me," as he pushed open the scratched up, water worn wood door.

The place was dimly lit and as Juuzou's eyes focused, he noticed all sorts of cool things; people stirring their coffee without their hands, pictures moving and chatting like living beings, owls squawking in the rafters. The place smelt like cinnamon alcohol, owl crap, and dust, which made Juuzou sneeze. Rubbing his snot on the back of his hand, a grin lit up his face and he trotted up to the pub counter.

"Excuse me mister," he chirped while rapping his fingers against a counter sticky with beer.

The man behind the counter turned, realized he was talking to someone shorter than eye level, peered down and let a curious expression appear on his face, namely in the way his eyebrows arched upon taking in Juuzou's disaster of an appearance. A friendly smile accompanied the curious gaze as the man spoke. "Hello. Tom's the name. How may I help you?"

"How do I get to this Alley place for magic stuff?" Haise appeared by Juuzou and corrected him, saying, "He means Diagon Alley."

Tom nodded and directed them to the back door, saying that Diagon Alley was beyond the bricks. Behind him and Sasaki, Hanbee gave a small bow and thanked Tom for his guidance before jogging over to them. A brick wall didn't really seem like an entire alley, much less a place where he could purchase magical commodities, but who was Juuzou to doubt magic. The letters did state that Diagon Alley was behind the Leaky Cauldron and that all one had to do to enter was tap the bricks in a certain order, and so far the information had been right.

"I think it goes like this," muttered Juuzou as he tapped a few of the grimy bricks, which in turn moved and revealed a long crowded alley lined by stores. "So, lackey, you get all the boring stuff while me and Haise go play around." And with that declaration, Juuzou dragged Haise away before Hanbee could protest.

Something about Haise interested Juuzou, though he couldn't pin it down. It wasn't the fact that the other was part-ghoul and it also wasn't the fact that Juuzou knew Haise's old identity while Haise himself did not. The interest Juuzou had developed somehow from the few encounters they previously had. He sort of felt like they were similar, both oddballs in comparison to everyone else at the CCG; they stood out from the crowd. He hoped that if during this mission he could hang out more with Haise then maybe he'd figure something out.

The wizard money he received earlier jingled in his pocket as he wandered around the line of stores. A smile shone brightly on Juuzou's face as he spotted what looked to be a sweets store. "Hey Haise let's go in here!"

With a nod from Haise the pair entered the candy store called Sugarplum's Sweets Shop. Inside the candy store Juuzou ogled at row after row after row of shelves full of weird candies. Figuring that he had to start somewhere, Juuzou meandered down the first aisle and inspected all the magic sweets.

"Do they really have all flavors?" Juuzou held the box up to the light, inspecting it as if there was some trick to the box that would affect the flavors. Next he looked at something called chocolate frogs; where they real frogs? His eyes wandered to the acid pops and pumpkin pasties. Juuzou shrugged, not sure what would suit his tastes best, and piled his arms full of whatever weird wizard sweets he could carry.

He went up to the counter and dumped the sweets and money onto said counter. "Is that enough?" Juuzou wasn't yet accustom to counting or recognizing wizard money nor would he probably ever be, so he opted out of even attempting to add up what the sweets would cost. The employee behind the counter took the money and started counting out what would cover the cost. From behind Juuzou a pack of chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties were tossed onto the candy pile. He turned to see Haise give the employee the exact amount that would cover the two sweets.

The employee packed up the candy in a bag for Juuzou and then the two other sweets in a separate bag for Haise. Outside the sweet shop Juuzou grabbed at Haise's shirt and asked how the other learned how to use wizard money in such a short time.

"I dunno," said Haise with a bashful grin, "I guess it just clicked..."

Juuzou was awestricken and quickly asked Haise to teach him how to use the currency, to which the latter agreed. Shortly after explaining that four hundred and ninety-three Knuts equaled one Galleon, the duo were approached by Hanbee. "I finished getting the books and cauldrons."

While Juuzou grinnined, satisfied by his partner's work, Haise apologized for getting dragged away and not pulling his own weight. "So what else do we need on the list?" asked Juuzou in an unconcerned tone while munching on a pumpkin pastie.

"Next is the school uniform, wand and then lastly an animal; either a cat, toad, or owl," replied Hanbee while guiding Juuzou and Haise to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The shop bell rang, signaling that the trio of investigators had entered the store.

"Excuse me! I'm supposed to get a uniform thing," called out Juuzou into the spacious shop.

A woman appeared from behind a rack of black cloaks. "A new Hogwarts student?" asked the woman Juuzou assumed was Madam Malkin.

"Yep," chirped Juuzou, while Haise replied with a formal, "Yes."

"Well then let's take your measurements." Madam Malkin took out her tape measure, which came to life and whizzed around Juuzou's frame a couple times, then turned to Haise and did the same. Finished measuring the duo, Madam Malkin grabbed the tape measure from the air and said, "Your robes will be done in half an hour."

Hanbee and Haise thanked the woman, handing her some wizard money, then shuffled Juuzou out of the store since he had started to fiddle with the other clothes and merchandise out of boredom mixed with curiosity.

"Next is the magic stick right?" Juuzou looked up at Hanbee as he asked, and received a nod in reply. "Then off we go," commanded the Associate Special Class Investigator, and marched off in the direction of the store called Ollivanders.

"Magic stick, magic stick, magic stick..." repeated Juuzou in a singsong tone. "Hanbee pick up the clothes while me and Haise do this magic stick thing, kay?" Hanbee nodded, while correcting Juuzou that it was called a wand. Juuzou shrugged and kicked open the door to Ollivanders. Curiously he gazed around the small shabby shop, inspecting the thin layer of dust that lay on practically everything.

An old man slid out on a sliding ladder from behind a shelf and asked, "Looking for a wand?" Juuzou nodded.

"Try this," said Ollivander and handed a wand to the young Ghoul Investigator, "Alder, twelve inches, unicorn hair." Juuzou took the wand, wondering what the purpose of waving it would be. Wasn't he supposed to do magic at that school? He didn't even know any spells yet, at least not real ones; he had made up some spells in his excitement for this assignment.

Gripping the wand, he waved it a bit, wondering what exactly would happen. In response a couple papers lit on fire, and Ollivander shook his head, muttering, "No no...How about this?" He liked this, so far. If all he had to do was wave a stick and shit would get fucked up then he was already getting enjoyment out of this mission; although nothing can compare with the glee he feels whenever he slices up ghouls—that is the most satisfying experience.

Juuzou took the next wand and gave it a wave. This time the shop's windows shattered. Haise ran in deeper into the shop as not to get covered in glass shards. Immediately Ollivander took the wand and replaced it with another.

Again and again Juuzou tried wand after wand, none seemed to work. Four dozen wands or so later, at least by his count, Juuzou was getting fed up with all these sticks not working for him. On the other hand Ollivander seemed like he was having a grand old time. "What about this one? Twelve and three quarter inches, dogwood, thestral heartstring, unexpectedly lithe."

Juuzou was skeptical of the stick, but nonetheless gave it a wave. Instead of something destructive happening the dust in the room disappeared, leaving it cleaner. "Finally!" Juuzou threw his hands up in the air, stretching.

Ollivander then turned to Juuzou's companion, a glint in his eyes. "Try this, lad. Nine inches, cedar, kelpie mane, somewhat springy."

Haise flicked the wand and a force made him fall back. "I don't think this is the one..."

Ollivander nodded and handed another wand to Haise. "Cherry, nine inches, unicorn hair, a little springy."

Warily Haise waved the new wand and the room no longer smelt of mold and wood finish, but instead, of clean laundry. "That was fast," commented Juuzou, slightly jealous that it took forever for him to get the right magic stick while Haise got it on the second try.

The two paid the old man and stepped outside where Hanbee waited with two piles of robes. Haise gladly took his own pile, while Juuzou, lazy as can be, had Hanbee carry his.

"So what do I even do with this tiny stick?" asked Juuzou as the triad left the store.

"You're supposed to do magic with it—and get that out of your nose! It's not to be used as a nose picking device." Hanbee scolded him and removed the wand from up Juuzou's nose. "Let me just keep this safe," he said and pocketed the wand.

Juuzou shrugged, sniffled and rubbed his, now, empty nose. "So now I get my first contribution to my zoo, right?" Owls, toads, and cats could be in a zoo, at least Juuzou thought they could. He'd rather have a giraffe but one of the aforementioned animals would do.

The group paused in front of a shop called The Magical Menagerie. Upon entering, a small floating silver bell rang to alert the shopkeeper of their presence. Immediately Juuzou dashed away, perusing the many cages of animals. He knew what species of animal he would get, though he wasn't exactly sure which of the large selection. He passed by a couple tabby, siamese, and oriental cats till he spotted the one he wanted.

Gingerly he slid a bony index finger through the cage, which tempted the cat to paw at his finger. A smile cracked along his face and he exclaimed, that he wanted this cat, in a loud enough voice for the shopkeeper to hear him all the way from the back of the store. The cat he had chosen was covered in shiny black fur and on one of its paws was a white sock.

After the money had been exchanged the group of Investigators walked through the winding alley back to the Leaky Cauldron, where they would be staying the night before leaving on the train for Hogwarts. Juuzou held his cat tight in his arms, rubbing its head. Hanbee smiled at the show of affection. "So what's the name?"

"Umaibo." Hanbee chuckled that the cat was named after Juuzou's favorite snack. He just grinned at Hanbee then turned to rub noses with Umaibo the cat. "Haise what's your owl's name?"

Perched in a steel cage was a large screech owl. Haise spared a glance at his owl then back to Juuzou. "Hmmm...Hamburger, if we're picking food names for our pets," he said with a laugh.

* * *

Every couple steps Juuzou would glance back to watch his subordinate struggle with two clunky metal carts piled high with luggage. He had told Hanbee to be useful and take care of all the luggage sans the case that Juuzou himself had insisted on carrying, the case that contained his prize quinque, Thirteen's Jason.

"Come on! We're gonna be late if you don't hurry up," called Juuzou through the crowded train station as he looked down at the tickets they had received in the mail. "...Platform Nine and Three...Quarters? Where's that?"

As he made faces at the tickets Hanbee was able to push through the crowd and catch up to where he had stopped. Haise peered over Juuzou's shoulder and asked if the information had been in the letters, and in response Juuzou shook his head.

Fed up with not knowing where to go, Juuzou shoved the tickets into Haise's already full hands and glanced around to see if anyone else was going to the weird platform they were headed for. Noticing a group of people with carts that looked like they held similar items that had been on the supply list for Hogwarts, Juuzou trotted over to ask about the confusing platform. When he got closer he found that some of the taller, more adult looking people were glaring or giving him the evil eye, as if he'd done something bad, which of course he hadn't yet. He decided to pay little attention to the adults, and instead tried to approach the three student age people in the group. When he got close enough he asked, "Does this Platform Nine and Three Quarters exist?"

"It's this way," replied a girl around fifteen or sixteen years of age with bushy hair. Juuzou nodded and motioned for his two charges to follow him. The triad were lead to a pillar in between Platforms Nine and Ten.

"Are you a first year, perhaps?" asked the girl, to which Juuzou replied, "Nope! I'm gonna be a...mh..." He scrunched his face, trying to remember what year he was supposed to be. "Fifth Year. We're are going to be Fifth Years," interrupted Haise who had been able to weave through the crowd faster than Hanbee. Juuou nodded, affirming Haise's words.

Following this girl and her companions brought the Investigators to yet another brick pillar between the Platforms Nine and Ten. "Okay? So how do I do this?" asked Juuzou, unsure if this girl really knew where the platform was or if she was just playing tricks on him.

"Well see...you run at that pillar to enter the platform." she pointing at the brick barrier before them. She seemed to register his skeptical look and said, "How about I show you?"

He nodded in reply, watching as the girl gripped onto of her cart and ran straight at the barrier. She disappeared in an instant, and soon after two of her companions followed, then the adults in the group.

Juuzou and Haise exchanged surprised looks before Juuzou pulled his characteristic this-is-crazy-and-I-love-it grin and charged at the barrier. Instead of the splat he had expected—despite witnessing that whole group of people prior do exactly what he just did—he felt a whoosh of air as he passed through the barrier. Next came Hanbee, looking rather distressed and, as Juuzou would describe it, extra cowardly. A couple seconds after came Haise with a surprised expression on his face.

On this side of the barrier a sign reading Platform Nine and Three Quarters in golden lettering was attached to the barrier, and a red train called the Hogwarts Express waited. The trio gave the bulk of their luggage to some helpful train attendants when instructed and were then left to search the train for an available compartment.

They finally found an empty compartment near the middle of the train and settled in. Juuzou called the window seat, wanting to watch the scenery flash by once the train started, and hopped over to the seat. He smiled and patted the space next to him, silently telling Haise to take that seat. Hanbee took the cushion across from Juuzou.

Fifteen minutes later someone rapped on their compartment door. Glancing away from the window at the door Juuzou recognized the girl who had helped him at the station.

"Everywhere else is full, do you mind?"

He shrugged in response, so Hanbee spoke up and let the three teenagers in.

"Pardon, but I was wondering...you said you were to be a Fifth Year, yet I've never seen you before. How is that possible?"

Juuzou shifted his gaze from the window to the trio and asked them, "Who are you?"

The trio glanced at each other before the girl spoke up. "My name is Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter," she said, gesturing to the other two in turn. Hanbee and Haise gasped, and leaned forward. The trio shared another look when Juuzou gave no reaction besides a small nod. "I'm Juuzou Suzuya, this is Haise Sasaki, and that useless guy is Hanbee Abara. That's the western order...I think?"

"Um...about my question earlier...how is it possible that you are a Fifth Year?" Hermione made a slight frown as Juuzou danced around her question.

Hanbee answered instead, knowing Juuzou wasn't interested in replying. "Suzuya-senpai and Sasaki-san are transfer students this year, which is why they are going to be in the Fifth Year. Also why Suzuya-senpai didn't react when the Famous Harry Potter's name was mentioned."

At the news that the lackluster boy across from him was famous Juuzou stood up suddenly and leaned in very close to Harry's face. "You're famous?" A doubtful looked past across his face and he sat back down and said, "I don't see it."

Before any more questions could arise, the trolly came by and an old women poked her head in, asking if any of them wanted sweets. To this, Juuzou jumped up and started picking out candies. After he practically raided the trolly, Harry got up and picked out a box of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans, then let the trolly move on. As Juuzou munched on his own box of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans the trio continued to question him.

"What's a "semi-pie"?" asked the red head boy, now identified as Ron. Hermione nudged the boy in the ribs to shut up. "Ron, that's a Japanese honorific used to show respect for a senior colleague." Harry and Ron both nodded dully, probably not really understanding what an honorific meant or its purpose. Suddenly Ron, who obviously wasn't paying much attention previously, blurted out, "Are you a girl?"

Juuzou stood abruptly. "Hanbee I'm going to change into these ugly uniforms. Be back soon." And on that note Juuzou closed the door of the compartment behind him. He made his way down the train corridor, robes overflowing in bunches in his small arms.

After a short wait at the lavatories, Juuzou got his turn to change. He initially struggled putting on the robes, mixing up the arm holes and head holes, though eventually he figured out how to basically put on the long tangled mess of black. The robe's hem was in heaps on the ground, much too long for Juuzou's short stature, and he thought that Madam Malkin had gotten his height correct. He shrugged.

Sliding back into the compartment, Juuzou noticed the disappearance of three nosey students. His subordinate told him that they had left a little while before, with excuses about needing to also get dressed in their own robes. Shrugging Juuzou asked Hanbee to fix his robes for him, which the other did. Once the robes were straightened out and pinned so he could walk without tripping, Hanbee told him that they would be arriving shortly. He nodded and plopped down on the seat, beginning to snack again on some sweets.

The train hissed steam and screeched to a smooth halt at the Hogsmeade station. Droves of chatty students dressed in dark robes accented by either green, red, yellow, or blue exited the train. Juuzou watched the older students head to the carriages on the right, while the youngest were left standing on the concrete platform, waiting for directions to the school. Hanbee whispered to him that the letters said that they would be traveling by boat with the first years. Juuzou immediately grabbed Haise's arm. "Haise's gonna ride with me in those soggy wooden boats."

* * *

At the top of the marble stairs stood towering double doors. Previously the first years had gone in to be sorted into something called Houses. Juuzou cracked open the doors, peering in with anticipation. Waiting never was his specialty, so he hoped that his cue to enter would come soon.

The Great Hall clamored with students reuniting after a long summer apart, chatting about their vacation, the news in the Daily Prophet, or any topic that seemed exciting enough to hold a conversation on past dull pleasantries. The first years had just finished being sorted. An old, bearded man that mirrored Juuzou's stereotypical image of a warlock, walked up to a golden podium and suddenly a hush fell over the crowded hall. To the slight right of Juuzou, Hanbee whispered that the old man's name was Dumbledore and happened to be the man who had asked Special Class Investigator Arima to send them to this school.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts. As you may have noticed we have a few changes in staff this year. Our Games Keeper, Rubius Hagrid, is out on temporary leave, so Professor Grubbly-Plank was willing to return to teach Care of Magical Creatures till Hagrid returns. The Defense Against the Dark Arts position this year will be filled by Professor Dolores Umbridge. We wish you the best of luck Professor." Dumbledore gestured to Grubbly-Plank then Umbridge respectively.

"Due to recent, disturbing events we at Hogwarts will be hosting a few international guests to help deal with an issue concerning safety on the grounds and in the surrounding area of Hogsmeade. Please give a warm, Hogwarts welcome to Investigator Suzuya Juuzou, Investigator Sasaki Haise and Investigator Abara Hanbee from the Commission of Counter Ghoul, better known as the CCG, located in Japan. Mr. Suzuya and Mr. Sasaki are going to enroll at Hogwarts as a Fifth Years, while Mr. Abara has graciously accepted to hold a class for students to learn more about safety measures in case of ghoul attacks."

The heavy wooden doors of the Great Hall burst open, hitting sharply against the back wall with an echoing bang. Heads turned and eyes focused on the odd trio striding through the Great Hall. Students and teachers alike whispered and pointed at Juuzou, calling him a dark-haired, slovenly dressed child. While others pointed at Haise and Hanbee, calling them a teen with weird hair and a troubled looking man, respectively. Hanbee and Haise stopped in front of Dumbledore and bowed, while Juuzou merely hopped up next to the old man and stood there with an impish grin.

A soft cough from the far end of the professors' table interrupted the gossiping. The toad-like woman dressed all in pink, her name was Umbridge if Juuzou had remembered correctly, stood and slowly made her way in front of the professors' table where she had been seated.

"Pardon me, Headmaster, but why wasn't the Ministry informed of the arrival and stay of these foreigners?" She spat out the last word like poison, and turned to Dumbledore for an answer. Juuzou stuck his tongue out at her, although Hanbee stood in the way of his rude action. They didn't want to offend anyone since they had only just arrived and didn't need to be making enemies yet over Juuzou's childish antics.

"The matter required urgent attending. I apologize for not informing the Ministry right away. I will remember to do so next time." That answer didn't seem to satisfy Umbridge, but before she could protest again Juuzou interrupted her.

"You know lady, I'm doing you a huge favor by being here. With all of your magic and power you guys can't seem to even harm the ghouls let alone get rid of any of them. Who else would get rid of the ghouls besides me?" A wave of laughs chorused through the Great Hall. Some students whispered how Dumbledore had lost his mind, or how ghouls were harmless creatures that no one could be afraid of.

"Ghouls? You must be mad. Ghouls are a harmless species of magical creature," countered Umbridge. "You can't expect the Ministry, much less the public, to believe your lies!" She was accusing Juuzou and his group of spewing lies and conspiring with an old man—Dumbledore. If anything, he was offended.

"Move toad-lady." Juuzou was fed up with listening to her irritable high pitched, sugarcoated voice, so he pushed past a huffing and grumbling Umbridge. "Ah-hem. Let's see...Hanbee tell these people what a Ghoul is and all that stuff. And do it fast because I'm hungry," ordered Juuzou. He noticed some of the teacher giving him incredulous looks for ordering around someone who, in appearance and in fact, was obviously older than him.

"Let me explain...My name is Abara Hanbee, Rank Two Investigator from the CCG. The ghouls we speak of are a deadly cousin of the species of ghoul you all have come to know. They are carnivorous, cannibalistic creatures that feed only on human flesh and, though rare, sometimes the flesh of their own fellow ghoul. Their appearance resembles that of a human, but they can be differentiated by their red pupil and black sclera. They possess mass amounts of strength, regenerative abilities, as well as dangerous weapons called Kagune that can be produced from their body and cannot be destroyed by normal or, as we have been informed, magical means. Please believe us when we say that they are a very dangerous and real threat." Voices of doubt called out from the student body, while others muttered among themselves, unsure if they should believe the information.

Hanbee paused to let everyone process his words. "Now Suzuya-senpai, Rank Two Sasaki and I have been called here about an emergency by your headmaster. We were informed of a rapid spike in ghoul population and activity in the area. We will do our best to eliminate the threat." Hanbee bowed, finishing his short speech.

Umbridge looked appalled at the thought that beings with such abilities could be roaming the area and that the ministry had no prior record of them. She quickly regained her composure and asked, "And how do you expect me to believe that someone as young as you could take out such hostile creatures, if said creatures were to even exist? Also there are only three of you allotted to a whole, supposed, population of these, probably made up, creatures."

"Why don't you just shut your dumb mouth. You'll see when one of these guys comes knocking at the doors of this school. You can believe me or not. It's not my problem you aren't smart enough to believe me. Now! Dumblydoor sir, stick me at one of those colorful tables so I can fill my role as a student and blah blah..." said Juuzou with little tact. With a grin he plopped down onto the stool the first years had sat in to be sorted earlier. Umbridge started to say something, but Dumbledore cut her off, saying that they had let the students wait long enough for the feast and that they shouldn't delay it any longer.

The ugly brown hat with the wide brim he had seen placed on countless young heads earlier now blocked his view of the Great Hall and all its occupants. He kicked his legs back and forth, waiting for something to happen under the brim of this old smelling head attire. All of a sudden a worn voice spoke in his head. "Wow it talks in my head like a conscience," exclaimed Juuzou in response to the mental intrusion. "So what are these Houses? And how do I know where to go?"

The hat chuckled and explained that the four tables each represented a certain house that each prided themselves on certain character traits. Juuzou made a mental note that the hat was probably doing weird mind things to him when it would mutter in his brain.

"Interesting...very interesting. Brave, intelligent, driven...yes...you possess many characteristics that could place you in any of these Houses...difficult...perhaps you would do best in either Slytherin or Gryffindor..."

Eventually the hat proclaimed out loud, "Gryffindor!" Afterwards said hat was removed from his head and Juuzou hopped in the direction of the red table, having watched the first year sorting long enough to recognize what color went to what word the hat shouted.

Hopping off the stool, Juuzou came and sat near the front end of the Gryffindor table. He grinned and watched Haise get sorted. Maybe they would be at the same table, at least he hoped. A couple minutes passed with that ugly hat still on Haise's head, then it yelled out, "Hufflepuff." Haise was then directed to the yellow table. Juuzou was slightly crestfallen about being apart.

Then, since all sorting and announcements were over, the feast begun. Night colored eyes peered down the long table and recognized a familiar set of faces. Juuzou waved at Harry, Hermione, and Ron who sat a few seats away from him. As he dug into the plethora of oddly named cuisine he picked up the Golden Trio exchanging words about him and his story. In favor of stuffing his gut before bothering arguing with anyone, Juuzou listened to the trio gab. He wanted to get a feel on people's take of the story, and they were a perfect sample.

Ron immediately dived into the topic that had everyone talking. "Harry do you believe that rubbish about 'a new species of ghoul' because I don't. I've seen ghouls. We have a couple in our attic back at The Burrow. They're not dangerous at all." Ron paused to pile chicken legs onto his plate. "Mate, I know you trust Dumbledore, and I want to trust him too, but this is just too mad. Right, 'Mione?" Both boys turned to Hermione, who seemed a little troubled. Ron nudged her to get her attention. "Something wrong, 'Mione?"

"Actually...I've heard of these creatures before...at home. One day Mum and Dad were tuning into an international news channel from Japan. Dad said that someone at work had mentioned that there was an interesting story, so my parents had wanted to check it out. I just happened to glance over by coincidence and read the news. Basically it confirmed the existence of these kind of ghouls. Though they are mostly isolated in Japan there are small outcroppings of populations in other countries. Apparently Japanese muggles have been struggling in secret with these magical creatures for quite some time..." Hermione spared a glance down the table at Juuzou, who pretended to be too immersed in his pumpkin juice to be able to hear the trio's conversation.

The trio exchanged worried looks and, all throughout dinner, would occasionally peer down the table at the Investigator. A couple of chicken legs later, Juuzou had sated most of his hunger and began to notice all the other people pestering him with questions like: "So are those things real?" "Can you really defeat them?" "How come we've never heard of ghouls like this until now?" "Do you think you can keep up with the Fifth Year work?" "Are you siding with Dumbledore and working against the Ministry?" "Is that why you stood up against Umbridge?" "You sure you're not a girl?" "What's with those stitches?"

Juuzou's head felt like his head was steaming from the bombardment of questions. Eventually he got a grasp and answered the easiest question, saying, "It's called Body Stitch. Wanna see? It's really cool! A friend of mine is a body modification aficionado and taught me."

Juuzou pulled out a needle and thread from a pocket in his robes and began working. He pierced his wrist multiple times, ignoring the disgusted faces of the other students, and sewed the number thirteen onto his wrist, then proceeded to pull out the threads, which left red aggravation marks on his alabaster skin.

The feast finished and Juuzou went over to talk to Hanbee before they had to part ways. Dumbledore had arranged for Hanbee to have private sleeping quarters, while Juuzou would have to sleep in a dorm with other students from his House. "Useless subordinate hand me my quinque," commanded Juuzou cheerfully. Nodding, Hanbee gave him the case he had been holding onto before they had gotten on the train and gone through this whole fiasco.

He grinned, satusfied, and trotted to the place called Gryffindor Tower; apparently that was where he would be staying for the year. The rest of the kids in Gryffindor had already gone to the tower, leaving Juuzou to maneuver his way around the moving staircases and attempt to find the portrait of The Fat Lady on his own. When he found The Fat Lady she asked if he was a first year, to which he responded that he was a fifth year student. She seemed doubtful but didn't push the subject, and asked him what the password was. Before dinner a prefect had kindly informed Juuzou of the password, though he had quickly forgotten it with food on the mind. After dinner he was reminded again and this time he tried hard not to forget the two words.

"Password...password...Ah! Pegasus Feathers." The portrait moved to reveal a hole in the wall leading to the Gryffindor common room. The only thing Juuzou registered was the undeniable fact that someone had apparently gone way overboard with the color scheme, and left no iota of space unmarked by shades of red and gold. He rolled his eyes and headed up the stairs to his room.

Inside he found that two of his roommates were asleep while the other two were up, hunched together, probably gossiping about something stupid. The two aforementioned roommates that weren't sound asleep looked up when Juuzou entered the room. He recognized them as Ron and Harry, then put a finger to his lips and silently shuffled to his bed, where he found his things waiting for him. Settling the case containing Thirteen's Jason by his bedside, Juuzou threw off his robes and hopped into bed. As he began to fall asleep he picked up on Harry and Ron's conversation.

"So what can we do against this new threat?"

"Harry, I agree with what Hermione said earlier. I don't think we should do anything. I mean, Dumbledore invited those two here so they could deal with the issue, not so you could run off and play the hero instead."

Harry's voice rose as he countered, "You heard what the Order was talking about. Voldemort is recruiting heavily. These species of ghoul could be part of Voldemort's army. How else could you explain the sudden appearance of these creatures that were, until now, successfully isolated or too small in numbers to do anything!? If Voldemort is using these creatures to attack me at Hogwarts because they aren't affected by magic then I have to do something."

An uncomfortably long pause followed and then Harry curtly stated that he was going to sleep. With the conversation over Juuzou's mind stopped focusing and let him fall into a peaceful sleep inhabited by his usual nightmarish dreams.


	2. A Chocolate Frog

**AN: I'm sorry this took basically a year to get done. Also this is unbeta'd because I can't wait any longer otherwise I'd never get this posed. Again, sorry for being a year late with this 2nd chapter and that it's relatively short compared with the 1st chapter. Honestly this went through about seven or eight rewrites so...**

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Over sleeping happened to be one of Juuzou's specialties and one of the childish habits which had managed to stick around long after his graduation into, supposed, adult-hood. Not only had he slept through breakfast, but also his multiple morning alarms because one or two just couldn't cut it. He felt no guilt for missing History of Magic, Potions, and Divination; they all had sounded boring on parchment, so they must have been boring in person. Potions was the only one that sounded even remotely interesting, but Juuzou just couldn't be bothered to wake up to go to that class.

At least he woke up in time to attend his last class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was a feat, in and of itself, worth a pat on the back seeing as Juuzou would have been sorely upset if he had missed his first chance to do some real magic casting. He figured that missing the other classes was now considered water under the proverbial bridge since he could just attend them another day―if he felt like it, that is. The act of getting Juuzou to attend class, any class at all, was as difficult as it came, but making him attend a boring class or one that he didn't want to was even more difficult, well-nigh impossible.

Anyone who had known him during his time at the CCG Academy, or even knew of his bad habits, would understand that Juuzou had often played hooky in favor of spending his time outside off the beaten track. In his mind, he had rationalized that he was already capable of killing a ghoul so what would be the point of attending classes to be lectured on a task he was already able to accomplish. Apparently the faculty and administrators thought differently than him since on multiple occasions they would attempt to track him down and force him into a lecture hall.

Lazily Juuzou tugged on his favorite oversized black button-up with rolled up sleeves, some black slacks that had been cut to knee length, and to finishing the look he clipped on his signature red and black suspenders. A curious thought crossed his mind as he mentally went over some of the details of the mission; what if he possessed the inherent ability to do magic like the rest of the students, and what if, maybe, that had been the reason for his selection for this mission; but then again Juuzou could merely chalk it up to be because everyone else at the CCG was old and wouldn't have been able to fit in at a school nearly as well as he could, seeing as his personality and appearance could easily be that of a teenager.

Nonetheless even mulling over the idea that he could be a real wizard was cool, but in reality it didn't really focus on his interests in life―eating snacks and killing ghouls. While Juuzou had been given a wand―twelve and three quarter inches, dogwood, thestral heartstring, and unexpectedly lithe―he had yet to try testing it out with a real spell, and almost hadn't gotten the chance to, nearly snapping the stick in two once he had gotten it back at Diagon Alley; Juuzou tended to be rough with his possessions.

The robes which had been bought and tailored for him lay bunched up and hidden away near the bottom of his suitcase. After the first test run he had concluded that they were stupid looking and not very original, even after the red accented pieces to show which House he had been sorted into were added. Juuzou much preferred his own style where he could move better as well as be himself. After adjusting the crimson bobby-pins in his hair to, as per usual, resemble the Roman numeral thirteen, Juuzou slipped on his fuzzy red slippers and hopped down the spiral stairs and into the Gryffindor common room, which of course was sparsely populated due to the timing.

Leaving Gryffindor Tower, Juuzou maneuvered through the maze of ever changing staircases and moving pictures. He still marveled at how the stairwell had a mind of its own and how the pictures just got up a left their frames with no hesitation about leaving any particular frame completely void of its designated personnel. From the painting leading to Gryffindor Tower―whose name currently escaped Juuzou―to the supposed floor he was going to, it was a few staircases down so with time in mind Juuzou thought that sliding down the railing would be a much needed time saver in comparison to walking down each flight of stairs; also sliding on the railing just felt like the more fun and adrenaline pumping option, so naturally Juuzou went with it. Soft fabric slid against the marble handrail and Juuzou grinned to himself as the air current brushed against his face, making his raven colored hair flow behind him. Occasionally a painting would yell at him, saying the same thing as the last painting, that what he was doing was dangerous and that he should stop. His well thought out response to said yelling paintings was to completely ignoring their disapproving words and pretending that they weren't there.

Slippered feet tapped onto stone flooring as Juuzou came to a stop at the bottom of the last staircase and hopped off the railing. This was accompanied by a couple of relieved sighs from the worried onlookers. Juuzou's pale hand came up and pulled at the red threads stitched on his lower lip as he glanced around at the paintings that gave him disapproving looks while they moved within their golden frames. Getting caught up in this morning's thoughts and antics Juuzou had forgotten to grab his map to each of his classes. After the third tug on the red thread, an ah-ha moment came to him and Juuzou nodded to himself before choosing which hallway to take. Hopefully he had recalled how to get to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room correctly, otherwise who knows where he would end up.

Trotting down the hall he kept his fingers lightly brushing against the stone like the put-your-finger-on-the-wall thing a five year old would do in elementary school. The stone was cool to the touch and Juuzou rather enjoyed the smooth to indented back to smooth feel he got as he ran his fingers along it. As he rounded the corner of the hall his ears picked up yelling from behind a wooden door marked Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Curiosity rose inside him and he knew that he just had to see the argument; he hoped it would end in colorful spells being thrown around from various magic sticks because that was the only thing Juuzou could think could make an argument at a magic school worthwhile. His one track mind brought his hand against the slightly splintered wood of the heavy classroom door and he pushed it open to reveal what looked to be a scream off exploding between Umbridge and Harry. Instantly his hopes were crushed for a chaotic spelling using fight and Juuzou deflated a little.

"Detention Mr. Potter!" Umbridge's shrill voice hurt Juuzou's ears and while he loved the prospect that this heated argument could eventually bring magic into play―which he would so very much want to see―right now he just wanted her to stop speaking, possibly for the next forever and a year. Her voice felt like a tiny nail being drilled into his skull with the metal against bone squeaking in his ear the entire time.

During a pause in the fight Juuzou spoke up, making his presence known and all eyes, including Umbridge's, turned to stare at him. His dark red eyes first noticed, in one of the aisle seats around the middle of the classroom, a round faced boy who wore Gryffindor colors try to, with success, catch his attention before scrunching his eyes shut and cringing. Juuzou only had a moment to wonder what the set of facial expressions was for because a second later ice cold water and small partially melted cubes of ice doused his entire body while an echoing laughter came from above.

Glancing up through wet bangs he saw a ghost-like figure above him with a dripping pail, obviously the culprit. Before Juuzou could react the figure snickered and zoomed down the corridor, dropping the dripping metal bucket onto the stone floor with a resounding clank. Juuzou was about to run after said figure, who he assumed to be Peeves―the Prefects and some of the students had warned him about the poltergeist―but as soon as one of his sopping wet slippers squelched onto the floor he was stopped by a shrill and grating voice owned by none other than Umbridge.

"Detention Mr. Suzuya! Now get to your seat! You are late." Juuzou paused and about-faced, frowning through his wet mop of onyx hair. This seemed like a poorly disguised act for her to get back at him. Remembering his promise to Hanbee to give his best attempt to not cause trouble, Juuzou obliged with a soft grumble. He said that he would try his best, but Juuzou had a penchant for getting in trouble or for trouble finding him.

The toad woman looked very smug as Juuzou walked down the rows, dripping from head-to-toe as he searched for an open seat, ending up sitting next to a pug-faced girl in green accented robes. Umbridge had obviously been waiting for a moment to grasp and assert some sort of authority over him, even if it was the authority to assign him a measly detention―which he may or may not go to in the end―and force him to sit through the rest of class in discomfort.

Her inferiority complex was glaringly obvious every time she tried to command Juuzou to do anything. He wanted to laugh at her and her miserably feeble attempts to rein him in. He was a wildfire that couldn't even be tamed by the CCG, maybe guided and occasionally contained but not tamed. He had been raised and scarred for life by a ghoul and no amount of teaching or counseling will ever make him go back to acting like that quiet obedient doll again, let alone a normal human being.

A textbook floated over to his seat, landing with a thump on the scrawled and etched upon wood. Juuzou eyed the thick book, and lazily flipped through it cover-to-cover, ultimately deciding it wasn't worth his attention. He could tell that he wasn't going to have the pleasure of watching stuff get blown up or horribly mangled in this class, so he tuned out.

His mind was more intent on focusing on considering where the ghouls could be hiding. So far he hadn't encountered a single one, which was disappointing and surprising. Juuzou knew that his particular scent was like the greatest thing since sliced bread to them. He didn't know exactly what about him smelled so good but he knew that just his existence was like ghoul bait, really really good ghoul bait. Offhandedly Juuzou noted to himself to later ask Haise to describe to him his smell.

That train of thought came to a screeching halt when he noticed a very tacky pink blob standing in his line of vacant sight. "Mr. Suzuya I think it is in your, and the class', best interest that you quit daydreaming and start paying attention. Or you would like to make everyone else join you in detention."

Protests and yelling came his way as soon as Umbridge finished speaking. This was definitely another one of her schemes so she could make him into public enemy number one. If all the students started hating him then she would be able to hide in the crowd and make more trouble for him, probably till she got him kicked out since she hated him so much.

Either way, Juuzou wasn't going to submit to her just because she wanted to pull a move elementary school teachers had perfected since the dawn of kindergarten class. He didn't care if he became disliked by the students; it wasn't his job to get along with kids who made mountains out of mole hills and were too caught up in their own world that they couldn't see the big picture. He had more important and, for a matter of fact, interesting things to do and think about than his public image, which in the first place hadn't been a big concern for him. Besides he couldn't care even remotely at all if other students were forced into detention because of him, it wasn't likely that they would have spent that hour being useful to his mission, so it wouldn't matter to him if they spent it in detention or not.

Instead of responding to her threat, Juuzou picked up the textbook and threw it at her―it felt like the most interesting option. He didn't care about the legality of what would happen if the bounded papers hit her, he just wanted the satisfaction of maybe giving her a concussion or at least a big bruise. To his great disappointment the book stopped a couple inches short of its mark, floating in the air gently for a few moments, then placing itself back nicely on top of the pile of extra textbooks by the front table.

The face of an overjoyed Umbridge brought bile up his esophagus and Juuzou surmised that he needed to be extra sneaky if he was going to attempt to cause her bodily harm. In her eyes he had taken the bait, but really he had her dancing in the palm of his hand. Though she might not merit as much fun as a ghoul would be he did enjoy toying with her because she so utterly and unequivocally annoyed him. For a moment he wondered if biting off her ear would be as fun as it was with that disbelieving policeman. The sour taste in the back of his throat had Juuzou scrunching his nose in disgust and he remarked, with a slight upward tug to the corners of his mouth, "You don't have to give me detention. Your face is punishment enough."

Despite the current hatred and loathing towards him, some of the students in the class laughed at his insult. And like his sense of taste, Umbridge's expression quickly turned sour before she yelled in her shrill voice, "Detention for everyone!"

Throughout the rest of class Juuzou could feel eyes trying to bore through the back of his skull. Once class had been adjourned he hopped up from his seat, which was thoroughly dripping and damp with water as was the area around his seat, and left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with everyone else. At least the class time had given his clothes a chance to dry from their previous drenching, albeit they were still damp by the end of class. People pushed and shoved him through the door and out into the hallway; a couple of mean looking Slytherins actually came up to him, probably with the intention of hexing him or something for giving them detention.

The bully-esque group backed him into a secluded corridor away from where the rest of the students were filing out. This was too boring to merit any expenditure in energy to escape. It was a group of five against a single one hundred sixty centimeter Juuzou, not that he couldn't handle these green bullies on his own. He noticed that the only girl in the group was that pug-faced one he had sat next to in class. To her right were two huge lumpy boys and to her left was a tall boy with slanted eyes. At the forefront of the group was a boy with sleek blonde hair and a pompous expression.

"You've made a big mistake." The blonde paused and peered closer at Juuzou, while motioning for his two hulking friends to come closer to give his presence a more intimidating effect. "Blimey. Are you really a boy?" For a moment the blonde boy abandoned his anger, which was replaced by confusion and curiosity.

The blonde's grey eyes glanced over Juuzou, examining him as if trying to unravel his appearance and why he looked so androgynous. Juuzou locked up for a second before taking a slow breath to calm his slightly frazzled nerves. No matter how many times it happened he would never be comfortable with the looks and comments about his gender. Intention and reason didn't matter when it came to this touchy subject; he would rather it never be brought up since it always brought with it trauma and memories. Relaxing his tensed up muscles Juuzou was brought back to the current events that were unfolding.

A voice shouted from around the corner and the group of Slytherins turned to see who was disturbing their fun. Juuzou peeked around the mass of green and his large eyes met Harry sprinting down the hallway with Ron and Hermione close behind. He waved nonchalantly at the arriving trio, as if trouble wasn't just beginning to brew right in front of him. Harry's hand hovered over his wand, daring Malfoy to make a move. "Leave him alone, Malfoy."

"Why should I, Potter? Just because you already had detention doesn't change how the rest of us feel about joining you. I'm going teach this kid a lesson about causing trouble to his betters." The blonde, who was now identified as Malfoy, grabbed his wand and pointed the stick at Harry; to which, in response, Harry also pointed his wand at Malfoy. And of course the rest of the students present pulled out their own wands, pointing them at someone from the opposing group.

Juuzou would have pulled out his wand as well to join in, if only just to appear like he also could hold a shiny wooden twig and look menacing since he had no idea how to say any spells let alone even cast one, but he had misplaced it somewhere; it was probably on his nightstand back in Gryffindor Tower or with Hanbee, either way he didn't have it. Too bad, and he had so wanted to finally do something with that magic stick―like break someone's leg, but now he'll just have to wait till his next chance.

"You don't scare me," sneered Malfoy. He paused for a moment, noticing a few teachers walk past the hallway they were using as a fight scene. "If you really want to play hero, Potter, then-" Malfoy was abruptly stopped in the middle of egging on Harry by a scream that echoed down the hallway. Soon after a few teacher rush through the corridor towards the direction of said scream. A gut feeling told Juuzou to go that way too and that it was going to be trouble.

Slipping past Malfoy and company with ease, Juuzou dashed down the corridor. Noticing his escape Malfoy and company ran after him with the Gryffindor trio close on their heels. Skidding to a stop behind a mob of students and teachers, Juuzou ducked down wiggled his way to the front. Nearing the front of the mob, he noticed Hanbee who motioned to Juuzou to come quickly. Once close enough he could deduce the situation and what needed to be done. Raising his voice Juuzou called out to all the staff and students. "Everyone I need you all to clear the area."

On the stone floor lay Haise writhing and groaning. Students and faculty alike gaze upon him with a mix of curiosity and worry. The order was taken lightly and pretty much ignored. People were calling for someone named Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to be the school's nurse from what Juuzou could surmise. One girl reached forward towards Haise. Juuzou dashed over and pushed her back just as Haise's hand reached out, grabbing ahold of black dress shirt instead of yellow accented robes. In a moment a blur of black was thrown through the air and collided with a hard stone wall then fell to the floor with a thud.

Students and teachers gasped and backed away slightly from Haise, some crowding around Juuzou to see if he was alright after his short flight. Shakily getting onto his hands and knees, Juuzou loudly ordered once again that everyone leave the area. The wind had been knocked out of him and he could barely catch his breath, but he said it again for everyone to get away quickly. Finally the onlookers realized the severity of the situation and started running away from Haise.

Back onto his feet Juuzou told Hanbee to be ready to go with Plan B if Plan A didn't work. Right now Haise didn't seem bad enough for Plan B to need to be put into action immediately. Cautiously Juuzou circled around Haise, inching his way closer ever so slightly till he could reach out and grab Haise's wrists. Gripping tightly on his fellow investigator's wrists he pinned them to the floor and tried to subdue a writhing Haise, who was now screaming incoherent words and sentences.

Recalling what Arima had told him and what the files said about dealing with one of Haise's so called "break downs" Juuzou tried applying the methods. There had been a few different method for deal with "break downs" of different severity; there was Plan A for "break downs" where Haise is of no immediate threat; then Plan B for when Haise begins losing control of himself; next Plan C for Haise lets loose his kagune and can become a bigger threat; then Plan D for when Haise becomes a major threat and cannot be stopped without sustaining heavy damage; and finally Plan E when Haise loses himself completely and must be stopped at any cost.

For now Juuzou just tried to reason with Haise, tell him that everything was going to be fine and remind him who he is. A tense few minutes pass where the screaming and flailing gets even worse; Haise's fist makes contact with Juuzou's abdomen before being pressed against the stone floor again with more force. If the situation escalated then Juuzou wouldn't just sustain some bruises. Finally the writhing and screams cease. Haise seems to be back in control of himself and Juuzou lets go of his fellow investigator's wrists.

Haise whispers a gravelly and weak thank you to Juuzou; his throat must hurt from screaming so much and he looked tired. Haise and Juuzou help each other up, providing support for one another and slowly make their way to a bench to sit. "Haise would you like a cup of coffee?" The Rank Two Investigator nods and Hanbee walks off.

"Sorry for causing trouble for you." Looking up Juuzou gave Haise a smile and replied, "Don't worry about it. If I couldn't handle you do you think Arima would of let you come on this mission with me?" After all Juuzou had become an Associate Special Class Investigator, one half-ghoul tantrum couldn't stop him. He wanted to reassure Haise and keep him from worrying about what-if's when they had bigger things to be worrying about like a rising ghoul population and possible ghoul attacks.

"Hey Haise, what's your schedule like tomorrow?" asked Juuzou offhandedly to break the slightly awkward silence between them. The taller of the pair reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment, scanned it then replied," Potions, then Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, and Herbology." The Associate Special Class Investigator would have been more animate in his response if he didn't have a huge growing collection of bruises peppering his pale body. "Really?! We have Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology together!"

It was nice to know that he would get to have at least a few of his classes with Haise. He didn't want the other going through the day alone after the incident that just happened. It would be hard dealing with the curiosity and persistent questions of students and faculty. Juuzou wondered how dinner would be since that would be the first hurdle.

Hanbee finally returned with the coffee and received a soft thank you accompanied by a warm smile from Haise. Sitting across from Juuzou and Haise, Hanbee waited a moment before speaking up, asking the question on all of their minds. "So how should we deal with the questions that are sure to come from the wizards?"

"Well we can't really tell them that Haise is half-ghoul...that probably won't go over well see as these wizards don't really understand his situation or much about ghouls in the first place," mused Juuzou out loud as he pulled at the red stitches down his hand. Looking to his right he noticed Haise's dejected look. "Don't blame yourself Haise, it was bound to happen eventually."

"But I'm a hazard and I've pretty much already jeopardize the mission and so soon..."

Puffing out his cheeks with frustration Juuzou reached into his pocket then nudged his fist towards Haise's hand, dropping a small round candy into the other's palm. "It's my favorite special coffee candy!" said Juuzou as he beamed at his fellow investigator. The half-ghoul looked surprised but graciously accepted the candy. "Don't worry Haise I have a brilliant idea," declared Juuzou as he stood up quickly, a little too quickly because Hanbee had to catch him.

His partner looked a little worried, which was rightfully so since most of Juuzou's "brilliant ideas" rarely lead to ideal situations. Despite the worried expression plaguing Hanbee's face Juuzou grinned and reassured the Rank Two Investigators.


End file.
